[wadeb_21]

I am using a Dell Inspiron 8600 and everytime I power on I get this blue screen that says "A problem has been detected and the windows has beeen shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME

I have tried using safe mode but am unable to it brings me right back to the blue screen. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions or a fix to the problem. I would really appreciate it, thanks.

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Use your windows xp disk to enter the recovery console

You do this by setting your PC to boot to the CD-ROM in BIOS (enter bios by pressing f1, f2 pr del key during memory count up, then searching for boot order, and setting the CD as the first boot device)

When the PC boots, it will boot from the CD...after the first several screens load, you will be given a choice to choose R for recovery console. You will be asked to log in.

For Windows XP Home, there is not password, just hit enter. For Windows XP pro, ask whomever set up the machine what password they used.

Once at the Recovery console c:\windows prompt, type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

Take a long walk, as this will take a while






If you do not have a windows xp disk, download RC.iso from the following link:

http://www.thecomput...edic.com/rc.iso

You need to burn this image to a CD and boot your computer with it--this is different than burning a file to a CD. If you do not know how to burn an ISO image, then download the following program to another Windows XP machine, install it.

make certain you download the proper installation for your version of windows

http://isorecorder.a...isorecorder.htm

After installation, right click the RC.iso file you downloaded above and choose COPY IMAGE TO CD.

Then reboot your broken PC with that CD in the CD-ROM drive.

This will give you a recovery console to use to run





Insert in non-functioning CD, set the PC to boot to the cd-rom first in the boot order section of bios (get there by pressing f1,f2, or del depending on machine while memory is counting up)

When boot begins, a windows setup will appear to start, but you will be taken to a recovery console. You will need to select your windows installation by pressing a number, then typing in the administrator password, which is blank for XP Home or whatever you set when you installed your machine for XP Pro.

After entering the password, you will find yourself at a command prompt

type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

follow the prompts, then when it is complete, type

EXIT, to reboot

Remove CD from drive

Fix?

[gerryf]

Use your windows xp disk to enter the recovery console

You do this by setting your PC to boot to the CD-ROM in BIOS (enter bios by pressing f1, f2 pr del key during memory count up, then searching for boot order, and setting the CD as the first boot device)

When the PC boots, it will boot from the CD...after the first several screens load, you will be given a choice to choose R for recovery console. You will be asked to log in.

For Windows XP Home, there is not password, just hit enter. For Windows XP pro, ask whomever set up the machine what password they used.

Once at the Recovery console c:\windows prompt, type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

Take a long walk, as this will take a while






If you do not have a windows xp disk, download RC.iso from the following link:

http://www.thecomput...edic.com/rc.iso

You need to burn this image to a CD and boot your computer with it--this is different than burning a file to a CD. If you do not know how to burn an ISO image, then download the following program to another Windows XP machine, install it.

make certain you download the proper installation for your version of windows

http://isorecorder.a...isorecorder.htm

After installation, right click the RC.iso file you downloaded above and choose COPY IMAGE TO CD.

Then reboot your broken PC with that CD in the CD-ROM drive.

This will give you a recovery console to use to run





Insert in non-functioning CD, set the PC to boot to the cd-rom first in the boot order section of bios (get there by pressing f1,f2, or del depending on machine while memory is counting up)

When boot begins, a windows setup will appear to start, but you will be taken to a recovery console. You will need to select your windows installation by pressing a number, then typing in the administrator password, which is blank for XP Home or whatever you set when you installed your machine for XP Pro.

After entering the password, you will find yourself at a command prompt

type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

follow the prompts, then when it is complete, type

EXIT, to reboot

Remove CD from drive

Fix?

[wadeb_21]

Use your windows xp disk to enter the recovery console

You do this by setting your PC to boot to the CD-ROM in BIOS (enter bios by pressing f1, f2 pr del key during memory count up, then searching for boot order, and setting the CD as the first boot device)

When the PC boots, it will boot from the CD...after the first several screens load, you will be given a choice to choose R for recovery console. You will be asked to log in.

For Windows XP Home, there is not password, just hit enter. For Windows XP pro, ask whomever set up the machine what password they used.

Once at the Recovery console c:\windows prompt, type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

Take a long walk, as this will take a while
If you do not have a windows xp disk, download RC.iso from the following link:

http://www.thecomput...edic.com/rc.iso

You need to burn this image to a CD and boot your computer with it--this is different than burning a file to a CD. If you do not know how to burn an ISO image, then download the following program to another Windows XP machine, install it.

make certain you download the proper installation for your version of windows

http://isorecorder.a...isorecorder.htm

After installation, right click the RC.iso file you downloaded above and choose COPY IMAGE TO CD.

Then reboot your broken PC with that CD in the CD-ROM drive.

This will give you a recovery console to use to run
Insert in non-functioning CD, set the PC to boot to the cd-rom first in the boot order section of bios (get there by pressing f1,f2, or del depending on machine while memory is counting up)

When boot begins, a windows setup will appear to start, but you will be taken to a recovery console. You will need to select your windows installation by pressing a number, then typing in the administrator password, which is blank for XP Home or whatever you set when you installed your machine for XP Pro.

After entering the password, you will find yourself at a command prompt

type
chkdsk /r
<enter>

follow the prompts, then when it is complete, type

EXIT, to reboot

Remove CD from drive

Fix?

Thanks allot I will give it a try and let you know what the outcome is, thanks again.

[Dragonalf]

Hope this works for you. I ran into this problem on my Dell 8200 P4 2.26 GHz last Friday and was able to resolve it in the manner that gerryf describes.

One minor thing to add was that after the chkdsk operation completed (about 2 hours later), it continued to boot and it was able to get past the initial error (UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME) but as it was loading my desktop it crashed with a bluescreen again. This time I got a different error, something about IRQL... something or other. On instinct, I decided that I'd do a full reboot to see if it would clear this problem and the system came up clean. Wahoo!

My system has been running clean and with no signs of the original error since then. The only thing I haven't been able to determine is why this error happened in the first place. Anyway, good luck!

[wadeb_21]

Hope this works for you. I ran into this problem on my Dell 8200 P4 2.26 GHz last Friday and was able to resolve it in the manner that gerryf describes.

One minor thing to add was that after the chkdsk operation completed (about 2 hours later), it continued to boot and it was able to get past the initial error (UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME) but as it was loading my desktop it crashed with a bluescreen again. This time I got a different error, something about IRQL... something or other. On instinct, I decided that I'd do a full reboot to see if it would clear this problem and the system came up clean. Wahoo!

My system has been running clean and with no signs of the original error since then. The only thing I haven't been able to determine is why this error happened in the first place. Anyway, good luck!

Thanks allot for the input. Also I wanted to say thanks for gerryf because what you had me do worked thanks allot.

[gerryf]

just so you can sleep at night ( ), there are several reasons this error can occur...because of your description, though, the most obvious problem was/is a damaged file system

chkldsk /r

repairs the file system